


When 'Oops' met 'Hi'

by peroxideshots



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: M/M, The X Factor Era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-04
Updated: 2015-01-04
Packaged: 2018-03-05 08:57:20
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3113831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peroxideshots/pseuds/peroxideshots
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Oops,” the guy said weakly, which was when Louis looked up at the mirror and met the guy’s eyes. They were green and wide and gorgeous. The scarf the boy had around his neck was sort of twisted, and his long fingers got a bit tangled up in the soft material as he tried to flatten it out again. He was about Louis’ height, maybe a tiny bit shorter, with a soft-looking face and wide lips that were pink and a little chapped, and Louis’ first thought was to wonder who he’d been kissing. </p><p>“Hi,” Louis said back after a moment with a shaky smile. His stomach felt like it was doing somersaults. He waved his hands over the sink to get the water off them before turning around and smiling again, wider this time. </p><p>Those fucking dimples – Louis didn’t ever think he’d been so invested in seeing a stranger’s smile before.</p>
            </blockquote>





	When 'Oops' met 'Hi'

The first time Louis heard Harry sing, Louis had his back pressed against the door of a toilet cubicle. His hands were cupped over his mouth and his breath was coming out in frantic bursts around tears that stung his cheeks. He was trying to be silent – the toilets had been empty when he’d come in, two unisex ones next to each other set just off stage-right, but he thought he'd heard the door swing open and closed between his muffled sobs. He wasn’t even certain he was supposed to be in there, since the sign on the door had read ‘Crew and Cast Only,’ and Louis was kind of sure ‘Humiliated X Factor Auditionee’ didn't come under that bracket. His mum and sisters were waiting outside for him anyway, and he told himself he’s just being a drama queen, as per usual. Since he didn’t much feel like being embarrassed any more than he already had been by _being kicked out of a loo_ , or something, he decided to dab at his face with some toilet roll and take a couple of steadying breaths. He’d just got through to the next round of the X Factor, for fuck’s sake – when he actually gets kicked off, _then_ he’ll have reason to cry.

Louis’ hands shook as he unlocked the door and stepped up to the sinks, where the reflection behind him proves his suspicions right, because the other cubicle was locked. There was also a weird humming noise coming from it, and Louis sincerely hoped he wasn’t about to be accosted by some weirdo before his singing career has even kicked off. His hair was pretty much beyond repair – he’d been running his hands over it non-stop all day, so it was all flat and lifeless across his forehead. Louis looked like a hot mess, he couldn’t lie. There were sweat-marks under his arms and his shirt was sticking to his back uncomfortably from the heat of the lights on the stage, his cheeks ached from the forced nervous smile he’d had plastered on for what felt like _hours_ , and now his eyes were bright red from his mini-panic attack. Great.

Fucking _Hey There Delilah_. Why had he fucking picked Hey There Delilah? No, scratch that – why hadn’t Mr Brightside been enough? Mr Brightside had been what he rehearsed. Mr Brightside was a classic. _Everyone_ liked Mr Brightside. It had been going well, too, until Simon had interrupted him. He’d seen that happen on TV, of course, but it had never occurred to him that he would actually be stopped mid-song by the judge. He hadn’t even thought of preparing another song. His chest tightened painfully as he relived the moment in his head; the blind panic of the music stopping and his voice carrying on shakily over the silence, the gut-wrenching moment where his mind went _empty_ as he’d tried desperately to think of another song, a better song, one that ‘showed more versatility and range, Louis, if that’s okay?’ Thinking of the eyes of the crowd and the sinking feeling that came from knowing his whole family was watching and seeing his every nervous tick made him feel sick all over again and he was literally gripping onto the edge of the sink, head bowed, when he suddenly heard it. The singing.

“…Isn’t she lovely – fuck. No.” Louis lifted his head up suddenly, eyes narrowed and scanning the reflection in the mirror behind him, but the cubicle was still occupied. There was some more humming, then what sounded like someone cracking their knuckles, before the singing started again. “Isn’t she lovely…” A longer pause and the sound of clicking fingers keeping time – “Isn’t she wonderful.”

The occupant of the cubicle cleared their throat and then made a loud huffing sound, like they were exhaling a lot of air slowly in an attempt to calm down. Louis knew that sound – he’d been doing it himself all day. Except Louis obviously had a reason to need to calm down. The boy behind the closed door, in Louis’ opinion, really didn’t need to worry – his voice was fucking gorgeous, silky and pitch-perfect and kind of growly in a way that Louis’ shaky tone could only dream of emulating. It was a voice that Louis would willingly listen to all day, and something in it seemed to soothe the anxiety and frustration swirling around in his chest.

Louis was still staring at the closed door when it suddenly _opened_ and he span round quickly, trying to make it look less like he’d just been standing there like a creep eavesdropping on what was clearly supposed to be some sort of private rehearsal/psychic-up session. The guy made a surprised noise and Louis flushed scarlet, ducking his head as he washed his hands at the sink even though he didn't need to - just for something to do.

“Oops,” the guy said weakly, which was when Louis looked up at the mirror and met the guy’s eyes. They were green and wide and straight away Louis could tell he had no idea Louis was outside the door. The scarf the boy had around his neck was sort of twisted, and his long fingers got a bit tangled up in the soft material as he tried to flatten it out again. He was about Louis’ height, maybe a tiny bit shorter, with a soft-looking face and wide lips that were pink and a little chapped, and Louis’ first thought was to wonder who he’d been kissing.

“Hi,” Louis said back after a moment with a shaky smile. His stomach felt like it was doing somersaults. He waved his hands over the sink to get the water off them before turning around and smiling again, wider this time. “You sounded great,” he said honestly, eyebrows raised in encouragement.

The boy ducked his head and ran his hands over his hair, trying to tame a mess of wild fluffy curls. Louis spotted a glimpse of white teeth and deep dimples and for just a moment he didn’t even care that he had just had the most embarrassing moment of his life.

“Thanks,” the boy replied in a slow voice, rocking back on his heels slightly as he clasped his hands behind his back and smiled. “My audition is in, like…” he trailed off, looking at his wrist and seeming surprised at finding a cluster of bracelets instead of a watch there. “Soon,” he finished with a shrug. His bottom lip was caught between his teeth for a moment. “I just saw yours on the little screen thing in the green room. Well done on getting through, you were really good,” he said, almost gushingly.

Louis chuckled for a moment, pulling a face. “Wasn’t really though, was I?” Louis with a grimace and a shake of his head. He covered his eyes with his fingers for a moment, ducking his face in shame and letting out an exaggerated sigh, which made the boy giggle – actually _giggle_. When Louis looked up, he had a pink tinge to his cheeks and his hand pressed over his mouth, as though embarrassed for laughing. The sight was enough to make Louis laugh too, and something tight seemed to uncoil in his chest the more he listened to the sound of the boy’s delighted chuckle.

“You were,” the boy countered, smiling. “Really. And you’re through to the second round anyway, so who cares you did two songs? I liked Mr Brightside the most, by the way,” he said, eyes wide and earnest.

Louis stood up straighter from where he was leant against the sink, hips naturally angling a little towards Harry as he hooked one thumb through his belt loop. “That’s nice of you to say, love,” he said, feeling his face flush at the praise. It was so stupid, but he actually _believed_ this stranger. It wasn’t like his mum whispering in his ear and telling him not to worry as he rushed off-stage, this was _different_. “What’s your name? I’m Louis,” Louis said, holding out his hand for the boy to shake and leaning his weight on one leg, cocking his hip out to lean minutely closer.

“Harry Styles,” he replied, and there were those fucking dimples again – Louis didn’t ever think he’d been so invested in seeing a stranger’s smile again. “Nice to meet you, Louis.” Harry’s hand was hot and firm in his own and Louis, for a moment, wanted to hold on forever.

“You’ve got a really amazing voice, Harry,” Louis said after a while of the two of them just smiling at each other – he let the name roll off his tongue as though testing it out. “Seriously. It’s so – I don’t know,” Louis said, waving his hands around a little as he struggled to find the words. He shook his head and let his hands fall to his side, still grinning. “Yeah, I dunno. Just know it’s good and they’re going to love you.” Louis grinned at Harry, pushing his hair off his face with a flick of his wrist.

“Hope so,” Harry said, eyes sparkling with nervous-excitement. Or maybe it was just that his eyes were always that sparkly. Louis _really_ wanted to know. “Thanks, Louis.”

Louis stared at Harry’s face, lovely and open, and felt his chest ache a little. There was a silence, before Louis started patting at his empty pockets theatrically, letting out an over-the-top sigh after a second. “Shame – I don’t have any paper, but I was going to ask you for your autograph since you’re obviously going places, Harry Styles.” Louis winked as he said it, not sure where his words were coming from but feeling immensely proud of himself that he managed to get another giggle and a blush from the boy in front of him.

“We’ll see about that, I suppose,” Harry said, pink-cheeked and fidgety. He rocked backwards and forwards on his feet again a few more times, before stepping towards the door slowly. “I really should get going now,” he added, lifting a hand to wave awkwardly. He reminded Louis a bit like some sort of baby animal – slow and dopey and all kinds of adorable.

“Break a leg, love,” Louis said as he reluctantly pushed the door open with his fingertips and held it for Harry. “You’re going to be brilliant.”

“Hopefully see you at the next round, Louis,” Harry said slowly, looking up at Louis from under his thick curly fringe. Louis decided then and there that he could get used to how his name sounded from Harry’s lips.

They carried on smiling at each other as they passed; Harry actually walked backwards a few paces so they didn’t break eye-contact. Only when he stumbled a little did he turn around, waving one last time before being hurried away by a man with a clipboard.

Louis was still smiling as he headed off to where he’d left his mum and sisters. They were standing looking worried, and Louis felt a clench of guilt for leaving them stranded as he went off to sulk – it all seemed so stupid and irrelevant now. “Sorry about that,” Louis said in a cheerful voice as he kissed his mum on the cheek and messed up the twins’ hair, a hand on each of their heads. “That was actually kind of amazing, wasn’t it?”

“Fantastic, love,” his mum said quickly, clearly wondering why Louis had rushed off to the toilets nearly in tears and come back looking like he’d just won the lottery. “You’re in the second round, Lou! That’s better than _amazing_!”

Louis chuckled and ducked his head bashfully. “Yeah, that part’s quite nice too,” he said, earning him a funny look from his mum, but all he could do in return was smile.

That night, Louis laid in bed with his stomach in knots and his chest tight – and it wasn’t because of his audition that day, or even the nervous-excitement for bootcamp at the next round of X Factor.

It was because of Harry fucking Styles. Harry fucking Styles and his fluffy hair, bright green eyes and his lovely dimpled smile.

 

**Author's Note:**

> i can't believe this is the first one direction fic i've ever written like shit i love them so much i am so attached to these baby boys  
> my sons  
> i will probably be putting more of this online soon because i'm so invested in them


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